What To Do With All This Squash?

Recipe: Potato, Squash, and Goat Cheese Gratin

Source: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-potato-squash-and-goat-90647

Time: 65 minutes (prep and baking time)

Ease: 3

Taste: 6

Leftover Value: 5

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!

My husband decided to plant an abundance of yellow squash this summer.  He claims he planted other things.  Other things like zucchini, peppers, carrots, and cucumbers.  Our crop yielded none of those things, save four cucumbers and never-ending yellow squash.

We reached a point during dinner, when yellow squash was yet again the side dish, when we both looked at each other and said, "I think I'm tired of yellow squash."  

I could be to blame.  I don't get too fancy with my veggies.  I slice 'em, dice 'em, and cook 'em.  After making my entree, I don't really have the time to be bothered with side dishes.*

I decided to search for a recipe that would highlight the yellow squash and make it lovable again in my house.

Potato, Squash, and Goat Cheese Gratin was the perfect choice.

*Note: This is a lie.  It should really say, "...when cooking for the two of us."  Because, when I am making a meal for family and/or friends I go all out.  

The best part of this recipe was using the mandoline to slice the potatoes and squash.  I've used my mandoline maybe five times--tops--in the seven years I've been married.  I know how wonderful it is, but somehow I always convince myself that I can slice things by hand just as perfectly as the mandoline can.

Then I begin to use it and realize just how wrong that thought is.  For starters, you can't beat the ease of just sliding your vegetable back and forth to create even and uniform slices.  Not only that, but clean up equals basically the same amount of kitchen materials if instead you had used a knife and cutting board.

That said, I'm hoping to incorporate mandoline use into my kitchen a little more in the future.

After slicing the potatoes and squash, tossing them with some olive oil, 1/3 of the mixture is spread out in a dish.  The recipe said it didn't matter how they were laid out--in other words, it didn't need to be a perfect pattern of potato-squash-potato-squash, but my perfectionist side of me had a difficult time completely following that step.

Goat cheese is sprinkled on top of the first layer of veggies.  These two steps are repeated and the second layer of cheese is topped with the remaining potato and squash.

The recipe boasts that it does not use cream, only a splash of milk (1/4 cup) to keep the vegetables tender.

A sprinkle of fresh grated Parmesan cheese adds a little more flavor and charm to the top of this dish.

And of course, so does a sprinkle of fresh basil, picked from the garden, next to--you guessed it--more squash.

I served this for lunch one summer Saturday.  Hubby needed some protein to go with it, so I seasoned some chicken breasts and pan fried them in a little olive oil and butter combo until they browned.

I didn't expect Hubby to enjoy this dish.  As I've said before, he's unpredictable.  Surprisingly, we both really enjoyed it.  He had no complaints.  My only issue was that I felt the goat cheese was a little over powering and it took away from the veggies.  My future adjustment to the recipe would be to first try it with half the amount of goat cheese.  If it was then lacking a desired amount of cheesiness, I would play around with adding two ounces of another cheese--hello, Feta?

Sliced Baked Potatoes

Recipe: Sliced Baked Potatoes

Source: Great American Recipes

http://www.recipelink.com/msgbrd/board_31/2006/OCT/41248.html

Time: 1:15

Ease: 3

Taste: 5

Leftover Value: 2

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain!

I love potatoes.  I have always loved potatoes.  I remember telling my second grade teacher that I wanted to eat mashed potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  She told me that I would get tired of eating them after a while.  I didn't believe her.  I couldn't imagine how anyone could ever tire of the buttery goodness that is mashed potatoes.

But just in case she was right, it's a good thing I never tried it.

Because I still love potatoes, and my heart would be broken if I didn't.  

Mashed.  Baked.  Scalloped.  Smashed.  Fried.  

It doesn't matter.  They all make my heart sing.

This particular potato, of this particular recipe, sadly left a little more to be desired.  It is my future hope to come up with a fabulous rendition of this "Down the Drain" recipe that will transform it into a "Keep it in the Strainer" option.

*And perhaps, this is the sparking of a new idea for this blog: "Down the Drain" recipes become "Keep it in the Strainer" ones?  I'm loving the sound of it.

The start of this recipe makes it seem a rather serious task.  After cutting or peeling off undesirable parts of your potatoes, make slices across the short side of the potato spacing them only about a quarter of an inch.

While I disliked this recipe, it did teach me how to make this slicing action happen.  Whenever I learn something that I can use in the kitchen, success has been found.

Place a spoon face down on your cutting board and its handle will act as a stopper for the blade.  This way you don't end up cutting your potato into chunks instead of a still attached sliced potato.

There were a few slices that went a little too far, creating hinged pieces in my potato (see following picture).  Next time I'm going to try sliding the highest point of the spoon's handle with me as I go along with the knife.

Place the sliced potatoes into a baking dish.  Open them up a little, but not too much or the areas you cut too far in will stick out like a sore thumb just like.....oh yes, the potato that is front and center in this shot.

Here's a mini confession: I love red potatoes.  Sometimes, I will just completely ignore all other potatoes in the grocery store.  I know, I need to broaden my horizons, but red potatoes have never steered me wrong.

Sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt.

This part.  Ah, this part.  It makes me wonder how these potatoes didn't instantly transform into delicious mountains of goodness.

Drizzle 2-3 T of melted butter over each potato.

The recipe gives you the option of sprinkling 2 to 3 T of chopped fresh herbs or 2-3 tsp of dried herbs.  I went with a dried mixture because I didn't have anything fresh on hand.

Bake in a oven that has been preheated to 425 for 50 minutes.

Then sprinkle with 4 T cheddar cheese and 2 T Parmesan cheese.

Hello fresh Parmesan cheese.  I love you.  I'm sorry I wasted you on this recipe.  But it was for the sake of experimentation.

My gut says, 'We need more cheese'.  Definitely.  We will have more cheese next time around.

Place potatoes back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.

If I was rating this recipe on looks alone, I'd give myself a 10 for delicious looking factor.

Maybe it was a bad batch of potatoes.  (But they're red, so how could it be?)  But maybe not.  There is a future for this recipe, just not the one that currently exists.  Keep your eyes open for its come back.